Electric-motor-control system.



PATENTES MAY 8, 1906A A. E. DAGS. BLEGTRLC MoToRoNTRoL SYSTEM.

APPLIUATIDH FILED MAB. 17, 1905.-

v SRNR WH'N ESSES AT'ToRNiY sfstems es are employe UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH H. DAUS, OF (DHICAG, LNOS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE .ELECTRIC & MANUFAFUNG CGMPANY, A UORPQRATION QF PENN- SYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

:atenten Mey B, 1906.

Application lad Morell 17, 1905. Serial No. Zfil.

To all whom it iii/rij; concern.

Be it known that l, ADoLrH H. Dios, e citizen of the United States, sind e resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, lieve invented e new ond useful Improvement in Electric-Motor- Control Systems, of wliich the following' is a speciiicetion.

Mfy invention relates to systems for electric-iiiotor control, and nrticulsrly to such in connection withecti'ic railway cors or vehicles.

The object of my invention is to provide n means for automatically interrupting the supply-circuit in cese a, motor-armature becomes accidentally grounded which shall be sensitive to the flow of e smell grounded current and independent of any normal Inotor-current.

Heretofore when the armature of o motor became grounded, especially if several motors were comprised in one equipment, es is common in railway-service, serious deine-ge generally occurred to the grounded ern-iii.-Y

ture before the mein-line-circnit breaker was actuated to open the circuit.

A sensitive device that may readily lie :ifnplied to one or more motors is provided by my invention, which is illustratori in the eocompenying drawings, in which Figure i is e diagrammatic View o? e oontrol system constructed in accordance there- Witli and applied to e single motor. Fig. 2 'is a similar die-groin embodying e slightlydill'erent arrangement in the circuit-breaker mechanisms from tliiit of Fig. i.

Il invention is illustrated in Fig. l es epplie to e single motor l that is connected to one terminal of a suitable source of electrical energy by ineens of a trolley Z and e trolleyconductor 3, with which it engages, end to the other tcrininal of suc-li source by ineens of the tiuck-wlicels Il of tile vehicle tlint is propelled by the motor und the track-mils 5, Y

tion in the amount of resistance in the motorcircuit es the drum S is rotated, sind the direction of rotation of the motor-armatore is controlled by e simple reversing-switch 11, comprising a, set of fingers 12 and movable contact-pieces 13 and 14. This diagrammetio representation of circuit connections and controlling apparatus is intended to be merely indicative of any operative means for supplying current to e motor and so controlling the current-supply es to determine the direction of movement of the motor and to start, stop, end very the speed of the.mot0r, es may be required for the service in connection with wl'iiehit is used.

The illustration of a single motor is Without special significance, exce t that it enables me to simplify the illustration and description of the apparatus which is combined in my invention in order to provide an o erative system, and it will be therefore un erstoodthat e system in which my invention is utilized may and generally will eo priseb v two or more motors and controlling evices lay-means of which such motors meg be connected successively in series and in parallel rend that the circuit connections and resistnels of the controller 6, more or lese ofY the resistonce l0, according to the position of the controller the reversing-switch il, the one or the other of two solenoids 20 and 21, nccording to the position of the reversingswitcli, the motor-armature 22, the reversing-swileli 1 the nulli-magnet winding 23 of the motor i, sind the truck-wheels 4 to the return-conductor 5 of f.e supply-circuit. The cores 24 endV .35 of the respective solenoids 2U und :il nre connected together rigidly und ere provided with e contiirt or bridge piece 2li, which is normally licld in end is returned to si position niiilwe between the solenoidsb moans of two coi -springs 27 and 28, wliic are interposed, respectively, between said IOO IOS

contact-piece 26 and suitable abutments 29 and 30. The contact-piece 26 normally enages two contact-terminals 31 and 32, the ormer of which is connected, by means of a conductor 33 and a suitable resistance 34, to the trolley 2, and the latter of which is connected, by means of a-conductor 35, to one terminal of the actuating-coil 36 of the eircuit-breaker 19, the other teiminal of this coil being connected, by means of conductor 37, to the truck-wheels 4 or other means for makin contact with the return-conductor 5. lt wil of course be understood that the local tripping-circuit that is opened and closed by the contactder'minals 26, 31, 4and 32 need not necessarily be a shunt to the motor-circuit, but may be otherwise supplied with current, if desired.

It will be seen from the foregoing description of apparatus and circuits that when such apparatus and circuits are in normal operatlon the armature-,current ol' the motor 1 traverses both solenoids 2() and 2l and since they magnetically oppose each other the contact device 26 will be maintained in engagement with the terminals 31 and 32 and the local circuit, which is thus completed through the resistance 34 and the circuit-breaker coil 36, will so energize this coil as to maintain the contact-terminals 18 in engagement.

'In case an accidental ground occurs either side of the armature 22, however, the pull exerted by one of the solcnoids 2() and 2l will overcome that exerted by the other, and the contact device 26 will consequently be moved from its position in which it makes cngagement with the terminals 3l and 32, thereby interruptingr the shunt-circuit and denergizing the circuit-breaker winding 36. When this winding is dci'snergized, the circuit-breaker terminals will separate under the action of' gravity or such other means as ma be employed to cil'cct this movement, an( the motor will be thus eut out oi circuit.

As soon as the main circuit is opened the sprinfs 27 and 28 will return the contact mem )er 26 into engagement with the terminals 31 and 32, and thus close the shunt-circuit. As soon as the shunt-circuit is closed the coil 36 becomes energized and moves the contact members 18 into engagement. In order to prevent closure oi' the motor-circuit while the armature of the motor remains4 grounded, I provide the circuit-breaker 17, and since the winding l5 is connected inseries in the Inotor-circuit the contact-terminals 16 will separate as soon as the motorcircuit is opened, and they will not be again brought into engagement except at the will of the attendant.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a system which forconvenience of illustration is also indicated as a single-motor system, and in order to still further simplify the' illustration and descrip:

tion I have shown a' switch-arm 38 for engag- `6 5 ing contact-terminals 39, with which the con'J troller resistance 4() is provided instead of the drum-controller. (Shown inFigl.) Asillusthe trolley-conductor 3 through the trolleyconductor 2, the coil 15 and the separable terminals 16 of the circuit-breaker 17, the separable terminals 41 of a circuit-breaker 42, more or less of the resistance 40, according to the position of the arm 38, the reversingswitch 43, either the solenoid 2O or the solenoid 21, depending upon the position of the reversing-switch, the armature 22, the other solenoid, the reversin -switch, the field-magnet 23, and the whee or wheels 4 and to return-conductor 5. The solenoid-cores 24 and 25 are connected together and provided with a contact-piece 26, which is normally held in mid-position by means of springs 27 and 28, the outer ends of which enga e, respectively, with abutments 29 and 3() 1n the same manner as that already described in connection with Fig. 1. in this case, however, the contact member 26 is normally out of engagement with double contact-terminals 44 Iand 45, the former of which is connected, b means of a conductor 46, to one terminal o the actuating-coil 47 of the circuit-breaker 42, the other terminal of this coil being connected, through a resistance 48, to the trolley The other double contact-terminal 45 1s connected, by means of a conductor 4 9, to the 4truck wheel or wheels 4. These parts just described constitute a normally open local circuit, and when this circuit is open the circuit-breaker coil 47 is oi' course denergized and the separable terminals 41 are in engagement..

1n case the armature becomes accidentally grounded thc pull exerted by one of the solenoids 2() and 2l will overcome that exerted trated in this figure, the motor-circuit is froml IOO by the other, and the contact member 26 will be correspondingly moved in the one direction or the other to engage the contact-ter-` minals 44 and 45, and thusV complete the local circuit. 'When this circuit is completed, suflicient currentwill ilow therethrough to energize the circuit-breaker coil 47, which. will in turn open the motor-circuit. As soon as this circuit opened the coil 15 of the circuitbreaker 17 will be deenergized and its contactterminals will separate and will not again come into engagement until Ithey are brought into such engagement at the will and by the voluntary act of the attendant. f

it is to be understood that the circuit- `breaker 17 of Fig. 1 is merely indicative oi any suitable means for preventing automatic reclosure of the motor-circuit while an armature is grounded, and it may be replaced by any other devicethat will effect the desired result-`such, for example, as a breaker of the 11o-current release typrein the shunt or local circuit. Substantially the reame is Vtrue of the modification shown `in Fig. 2, except that the device to be employed in lieu of thel breaker 17 should be so constructed and connected as to prevent any automatic opening of the local or shunt circuit after it has beenV sire it to be understood that all variations L from what l have here set forth that do not materially change the mode of'operation or result are within the scope of my invention.

. l claim as my invention# 1. The combination with a series electric motor, of normally-balanced coils in the motorrircuit, an interrupting device for said circuit, and a local governing-circuit for said intermptingv device that causes said interrupting device to openlthe motorcircuit when the pulls of the normally-balanccd coils are rendered unequal by an accidental ground connection.

2. The combination with a series electric motor, of an interrupting device in the motor-circuit, a local circuit having a controlling-coil for said interrupting device, an opening and closing device for the local circuit, and op osin coils in the motor-circuit the one or t e ot ier of which actuates the movable contact member of said opening and closing device when the motor-armature becomes grounded. Y

3. The combination with a series electric motor and an interru y ting device for its circuit7 of a local contro ling-circuit for said interrupting device, a movable contact member for opening and closing the local circuitV and two coils in the motonarmature circuit that act magnetically upon said movable contact member in opilosition to each other and the one or the ot er of which actuates said movableinember'when the motor becomes grounded.

4. The combination with a series electric motor and an interrupting device for its cir ouit, of a local circuit for controlling said interrupting device and having adjacent conntactterm1nals, a movable bridgepiece for 'making and breaking contact with said ter'- minale, springe for normally holdin said bridge-piece in mid-position, opposite y-acting coils in the motor-circuit at opposite sides of the Vmotor-armature that are normallyv of equal strength but are unbalanced when the armature is grounded, and cores or armatures for eaidcoils that are connected to the movable bridge-piece.

5. The combination with' e series electric motor and an interrupting device for its circuit, oi' a local circuit for controlling said interrupting device and having adjacent contact-termmals, a movable bridge-piece for making and breaking contact with said terminals, springe for nonrnallf.Y holding said bridge-piece in mideaosition,v oppositely-acting coils in tbe motor-circuit'at opposite sides of the motor-armature tbat are normall5T of equal strength but are unbalanced when the armature is grounded, and means for preventing automatic recloeurerof the motoncirn cuit after it has been automatically opened.

6. The combination with an electric mol tor, of'rneans for automatically opening the motor-circuit when the annature becomes ounded and means for reventing reestabilebment of the circuit so ong ae Aed condition is maintained.

7. The combination Witli series electric motor, of means for automatically opening the motor-circuit when the armature becomes orrounded and means for preventing a restalilisliment of the circuit- Wliile the armature remains gg'rrrolndecl.

In testimonyr whereof l bave hereunto subscribed niy name tliis'ZStli day of February,

ADGLPH H. DAUS. Witnesses:

JOHN M. BLAKELEY! M. B. LAMBERT.

the ground-- 

